E. L. Menk Jewelers origins date back to my childhood someplace between when my grandfather gave me his old dollar pocket watch and when I broke open a pretty rock with my dad’s hammer, followed by an emergency visit to the doctor on a Sunday afternoon to have a splinter of that rock removed from my eye.

In the fall of 1968 I entered the St. Paul Technical watch making course. After graduating from the course I entered into a two year apprenticeship at Morgan’s jewelry in Winona. I proceeded to win the Harold Donkersgoed Award for achieving the top score in the Minnesota licensing exam. During this time I met and married Susan.

Several years and moves later we found ourselves in Brainerd and I was working for Bud’s Jewelry. After five years in Brainerd, opportunity came knocking and I purchased Ron’s Jewelry on our 9th wedding anniversary. (She still wonders if that was a good anniversary gift or not.) I called the store The Watchmakers Jewelry but as the watch industry was changing rapidly I soon renamed the store E. L. Menk Jewelers.

After one more move in 1984, we found a home in the Parker building on the corner of 7th and Laurel. Our building was built in 1909 and is on the National Historic Registry. The part of the building that is home to E. L. Menk Jewelers was originally built for Citizen’s State bank and then became home to the Johnson’s drugstore and the Gallery.

The store has evolved into a full service jeweler with the ability to sell jewelry and diamonds and offer the finest in jewelry repair and custom manufacturing of fine jewelry.